Public Gardens on the Côte d'Azur

Gardeners on the French Riviera can find ideas and inspiration in the Côte d'Azur's public gardens and parks...

The Riviera has many exceptional gardens open to the public.

Styles to be seen range from:

• The formal 17thC Classical French at the Château de Gourdon
• The nine gardens, each in a different style, at Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild
• The exotic garden - Le Jardin Exotique - of succulents and cacti in Monaco

The Parc Floral Phoenix in Nice (opposite Nice International Airport) has tree-shaded gardens to picnic, duck ponds and an aviary and a musical fountain. Within the park there is an exhibition centre and an enclosed "glass house" with seven separate climate zones including an orchid zone, the Louisiana Garden, Thai garden and the Africa/Australia zone. The vast aquarium has exotic fish, iguanas and other tropical creatures. There is a separate ray tank.

The town of Menton (near the Italian border) is renown for its gardens and regular visits include access to the town's private gardens.

• More details from the Menton Tourist Office
  Tel: 04 92 41 76 76

Several garden events and shows take place on the Riviera, particularly in spring, with Monaco as the host for many of them and Parc Floral Phoenix hosting egg hunts for children at Easter.

Côte d'Azur Garden Information

For further information on gardens, plants and gardening on the French Riviera and Provence see websites:

• Trees and wildflowers of Provence from Beyond.fr
• Garden Web Europe